November 29, 2003

• Yesterday was the funeral. We had a viewing, drove to the cemetery for a ceremony, went to a nearby cafeteria. Then it was back to the chapel at Ma's retirement community place, for more remembrance. From there, up the elevator to the apartment, and frequent tasteful utterances of the phrase: "If no one else wants this [antique furniture item here], I'd like it..."

  We're a family full of stoics. If there's any pathetic sobbing over Ma's passing, it's in private. We all had stories about Ma, and it was nice to remember them, but there wasn't much weepy-sobby. That's fine. She was 100 years old (I'm not being figurative here; she was actually 100), and had been on a steady decline for quite some time, so no one seemed to view her death as a tragedy.

  I got thoroughly exhausted, being around all those people. I enjoyed seeing them, but it was tough to spend a whole day doing not only the social thing, but also the gauge-their-emotional-state thing. I especially liked seeing my cousins' little kids running around and being little kids. So often when I've been over there, the emphasis has been on visiting the more, uh, mature members of the family, so I have this impression that there's nothing young and new going on here. That is, of course, wrong, and it's refreshing to see all those kids in one place.

  But those little kids, being chaotic... Just being near that much activity wears me out.

  • 7:00 am
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